Toy Story 3 (Franchise Deep Dive : Toy Story)

Retro Spectacles continues the Toy Story franchise deep dive with Toy Story 3, the trilogy closer that almost became a very different movie before Pixar reclaimed Woody, Buzz, Andy, and the emotional finale that defined the end of the Andy years.

Before Lee Unkrich’s version became a Best Picture nominee, Disney’s Circle 7 Animation had been developing a Toy Story 3 about a malfunctioning Buzz Lightyear recalled to Taiwan. Then Bob Iger watched a parade at Disneyland Hong Kong, realized every major new character was Pixar, bought the company for $7.4 billion, and handed the franchise back to the original brain trust. What they delivered was one of the great sequel payoffs in movie history: Ned Beatty’s Lotso as one of Pixar’s best villains, Michael Keaton’s Ken as the character’s biggest pop culture moment before Ryan Gosling, and a final 10 minutes that hit like an emotional extinction-level event for anyone who has ever looked at childhood through their parents’ eyes.

Mitcz & Teddy break down the Circle 7 disaster, the incinerator scene, Spanish Buzz Lightyear, Sid’s garbage truck cameo, whether Toy Story 3 should have been the end, and more.

Get your spectacles on and join us!